A wireless handset/device includes a primary antenna for receiving and transmitting signals. A secondary antenna may also be provided for a diversity receiver. Generally, the primary antenna operates normally and is on all of the time.
Radio Frequency switches are used in many different ways in wireless devices. For example, RF switches can connect the primary antenna and/or a diversity antenna to a transmitter and a receiver. If a switch, for example, a primary transceiver switch, is specified to handle both transmit power levels and receive power levels, the design of the switch is more complex and generally larger. In particular, for higher power applications, e.g., greater than 30 dB, a triple gate or a stack of field-effect transistors are specified.
A diversity receiver switch is implemented in the diversity receive path of the wireless device, and the diversity receiver switch operates in conjunction with a primary transceiver switch. Conventionally, the diversity receiver switch, however, is not designed specifically for diversity receivers. Instead, the diversity receiver switch is designed to include a power handling capacity similar to the primary transceiver switch implemented in the primary transceiver path. Although, implementing a higher power handling diversity receiver switch in the diversity receiver path may be adequate, doing so may result in an inefficient use of power, increased complexity, and an unnecessary use of space in the wireless device.